Generic Business Strategy Is Jetblue Pursuing : Cost Leadership, Differentiation, Or Integration?

JetBlue Airways, the latest entrant in the airlines industry has gone through the initial stages (entrepreneurial and collectivity) of the organizational life cycle rapidly under the successful leadership of David Neelman. JetBlue Airways is currently in the formalization stage of the life cycle where in it needs to create procedures and control systems to effectively manage its growth. Also as it proceeds to grow further to reach the elaboration stage, JetBlue needs to continue to align itself with the environment in order to maintain its sustained growth.

The key external factors like the growth in the economy, disposable income, and fuel prices have negatively affected JetBlue. It was compelled to change its strategy several times and in 2011 had an income of $86 million down from $97 million in 2010. The growing consumer interest in leisure travel has positively affected JetBlue. The success of JetBlue has been attributed to growing consumer interest in leisure travel.

JetBlue has always identified itself as a customer service company first, focused on providing customers a unique experience on every flight and with every interaction with JetBlue. (Annual report, 2005)

The JetBlue case gives students the opportunity to apply concepts in cost leadership. At the time of the case, JetBlue has enjoyed a meteoric rise to success in the airline industry by coupling a low-cost strategy while giving customers the sense that they are actually providing better features to their service (e.g. leather seats, satellite TV).

David Neeleman, CEO of JetBlue Airways and his management team have realized that JetBlue is still making profit despite the many challenges facing the airline industry after the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks. Despite these positive returns; JetBlue plans on raising capital through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) to support its aggressive growth and to also offset portfolio losses to their venture capital

JetBlue has been one of the most successful airlines since it first entered the industry in December of 1999. Founder, David Neeleman, set out to succeed by offering low-cost air travel in hopes of perpetuating his services to as many people as he could across the US. He was very adamant about having a very customer oriented business that catered to the needs of all. In doing so he wanted to emphatically promote his obligation to safety, caring, integrity, passion, while allowing the customers to have fun while traveling. There motto helps portray Neeleman’s belief stating “You Above All”. His primary goals had been to follow Southwest’s objectives of offering low rates to customers, focusing on customer’s needs and comforts while distinguishing itself with their amenities. Neeleman’s other goal was to establish his low-cost leadership strategy by concentrating his airline in a large popular metropolitan area that already is already correlated with high airfare (Peterson, 2004). He then began operating based out of the New York metropolitan area at John F. Kennedy International airport with his secondary locations in Washington D.C., Boston and Los Angeles.

JetBlue Airways Corporation was formed in August 1998 as a low-fare, low-cost but high service passenger airline serving select United States market. JetBlue's operations strategy was designed to achieve a low cost, whilst offering customers a pleasing and differentiated flying experience. JetBlue has had a successful business model and strong financial results during that period, and performed well in comparison to other airline companies in the US during the period between 2000 and 2003. It had been the only other airline apart from Southwest airlines, to have been profitable during the aftermath of the September 11, 2001

1. JetBlue's strategy for success in the marketplace is based on the cost leadership strategy, as outlined by Michael Porter (QuickMBA, 2010). This strategy relies on delivering products or services at a lower price than competitors, and using that cost leadership as the basis by which to attract customers. JetBlue essentially built their business model after Southwest Airlines, and the company's founders had experience with Southwest that helped them learn about the business. The JetBlue approach to cost leadership is focused on the mass market.

Jet-blue Airways is American low cost airline head quartered near New-York city. It’s foundedin August 1998 by David Neeleman with Joel Peterson as a chairman and David Barger as apresident and CEO. By late 2006,like some other airlines, JetBlue faced some softening demand and high cost due to the increase in fuel prices. Barger realizes that JetBlue needs to take further steps to slow its rate of growth. Barger was not sure about the reductions across E190 and A320. The E190 showedpromising growth opportunities and challenges for JetBlue. At the same time, the A320 wasconsidered as proven plane that had succeededover past 6 years. Most of the airline industries were using hub-and-spoke system and point-to-point services. Due to this service, South West Airlines showed consistent profits. After September 11th, the airline industry experienced trouble due to attack. Looking at the history of Jet-blue, it started with just 10airplanes in 2000 and by 2011 the company planned to have 290 planes in service. To support customers, Jet Blueprovided

Jet Blue has an opportunity to remain cutting edge in the airline industry by continuing to be low-cost and expanding carrier. A great market for Jet Blue to expand to would be towards the Caribbean's. As well as possibly lobbying Washington to lift travel sanctions in Cuba, which at one point was a major vacation getaway for Americans. This opportunity fits into Jet Blues current business model of short distance flights at a lower cost than the competition.

JetBlue had made significant progress in establishing a strong brand by seeking to be identified as a safe, reliable, low-fare airline that was highly focused on customer service and by providing an enjoyable flying

JetBlue Airways, the latest entrant in the airlines industry has gone through the initial stages (entrepreneurial and collectivity) of the organizational life cycle rapidly under the successful leadership of David Neelman. JetBlue Airways is currently in the formalization stage of the life cycle where in it needs to create procedures and control systems to effectively manage its growth. Also as it proceeds to grow further to reach the elaboration stage, JetBlue needs to continue to align itself with the environment in order to maintain its sustained growth.

JetBlue is related to three types of the management concepts in my personal understand, they are: product and marketing. First of all, in product concepts the company focuses on offer the best to fulfill their customer’s expectation “holds that consumers will favor products that offer the most in quality,

Within case analysis assignment, the JetBlue case is analyzed strategically in this document to set answers for following basic questions:

Also it looks for another benefit with the consumers and is the voice to voice, which they need the customers be proud of JetBlue so they could speak well about them. All that was achieved by many investigation of markets and a transformation in the culture of the company being the most important thing inside her due to the fact that it is unique, all his other qualities will be able to be equalized by the rival companies, less this, the culture of his personal always trying to fulfill the desires of the clients.